N.C. Gen. Stat. § 70-3 (2026)

It shall be the duty of any person in charge of any construction or excavation on any lands owned by the State, by any public agency or institution, by any county, or by any municipal corporation, to report promptly to and preserve for the director of the State Museum or the Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources any Indian relic, artifact, mound, or burial ground discovered in the course of such construction or excavation. (1935, c. 198, s. 3; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 2015-241, s. 14.30(x).)